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RULES |
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COMMON RULES |
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American football has more rules than any other team sport. Some of the more common rules that will affect Aussie players are: |
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Illegal formation. You must have only 11 men on the field at any one time and 7 of those must be on the line of scrimmage. Normally this seven is made up of the 5 linemen, 1 receiver and the tight end. You can have more - but you must have at least 7. Also - players who are eligible to catch a ball must not have another player on the line of scrimmage outside them. For example - if the receiver on the tight end's side moved up onto the line - the tight end would then not be eligible to catch a pass. Receivers can ask the side judge (referee on the sideline) if they are on or off the line. |
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Illegal procedure. On offense you can only have 1 man moving before the ball is snapped - and even then he must not be moving forwards. Once the linemen are set in their stances they cannot move. The defensive line on the other hand can move like maniacs - but cannot cross the line of scrimmage. When an offensive player moves by design before the play starts - this is called 'going in motion' and is normally carried out by a receiver. |
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Clipping. Clipping is a term used to describe an illegal block in the back. It is very commonly called on special teams plays where open field blocking is frequent. No player can block another player in the back. The rule is - if you can't read the front of his jersey - don't block him!! Special teams blocking is different to normal blocking. As well as clipping, you cannot block below the waist. This applies to kickoff and kick return. |
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Holding. Holding is probably the single most common penalty in football. An offensive lineman cannot grab a hold of a defensive player's jersey (or any other part of his anatomy!!). Defensive players are allowed to grasp however. |
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Facemasking. You cannot grab another player's face cage. This is a serious foul that incurs a 15 yard penalty (and may seriously injure a player). This is the only restriction though. If you want to tackle a guy with the ball - you can grab ANY other part of him except his facemask (so don't leave your hair hanging out under your helmet!). |
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Pass Interference. A player may not bump, grab, or hinder the progress of another player attempting to catch a pass. This violation may be called against an offensive or defensive player. It yields a yardage penalty or the ball is placed at the spot where the penalty occurred. |
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